45 kids go missing every month: NCRB
With nearly 45 children going missing every month, Delhi has become the Capital of human trafficking. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics, around 58,224 cases of crimes against children have been recorded in 2013.
While crimes against children are rising at breakneck speed, there has been a 30 per cent increase in crimes committed by juveniles. Nearly 163 juveniles are apprehended on rape charges. “The reason behind the glaring statistics is irresponsible parenting. The data claims that 91 per cent of such children live with parents, 8 per cent with guardians and 1 per cent are homeless,” said Dr Shobha Vijender, founder president, Sampurna, during a media briefing.
Meena Kumari, mother of 18-year-old Vaibhav, couldn’t fight back her tears. Her son went missing in March 2011. “He used to work at a garment store from where he went missing. Police took no action. In fact, they tell us all kind of things and never cooperate,” she said.
There are around 1.7 million juveniles in India. “Topping the charts, Delhi has now become the Capital of human trafficking. There has been a steep increase in crime rate from 2000 to 2013,” she added. With rising crime graph, the Juvenile Justice Act is in dire need of a review. A law is enacted to act as a deterrent as well as to reform.
However, the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, is unable to serve any purpose and crimes by juvenile and against children are rising unfettered across the country. While Jahnvi’s parents consider themselves lucky, the same cannot be said about other parents whose children have gone missing and remain a statistic. “We are happy to be reunited with our child. I wish no parent has to go through similar pain,” said Rakesh Ahuja, Jahnvi’s father.